LYNDON B. JOHNSON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, Texas — Visitation at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in the Texas Hill Country dropped sharply in 2025, falling nearly 70% from over 119,000 visits in 2024 to just above 38,000, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
The decline comes as the park’s centerpiece, the Texas White House Complex, remains closed for a major restoration project that began on January 2, 2024. The historic ranch house, which served as Johnson’s presidential retreat, and other buildings including the Hangar Visitor Center and Lockheed JetStar, are undergoing structural stabilization, utility upgrades, security improvements, and enhanced accessibility measures.
Funded in part by the Great American Outdoors Act, the $14 million project aims to preserve the historic integrity of the complex while modernizing it for visitors. Restoration of the Texas White House is now expected to conclude in 2027, CBS Austin reports.
Despite the closures, parts of the park remain accessible. The LBJ Ranch driving tour operates daily, featuring Johnson’s reconstructed birthplace, Junction School, the Johnson family cemetery, and Hereford cattle descended from Johnson’s herd. In Johnson City, the visitor center and Johnson’s Boyhood Home continue to welcome guests with exhibits and tours.
The steep drop at LBJ mirrors a modest decline in overall National Park System visitation, which fell by about 2.7% nationwide in 2025, from 331.8 million visits in 2024 to 323 million. Texas park sites also experienced a slight decrease, from 5.37 million visits in 2024 to 5.23 million in 2025.
The NPS emphasizes that the closures and restoration work are temporary and intended to ensure the long-term preservation of this historic site for future generations.